Gregg Wallace appeared on Monday’s episode of MasterChef: The Professionals just days after he announced he was stepping down from his role on the show while an investigation is conducted into historical allegations about his behaviour.
During the semi-final, the chefs were challenged to concoct an innovative meal incorporating every one of their ingredients.
French contestant Gaston decided to bring a taste of Greece to the table, telling Gregg: “It is a sauce from Greece and I am using egg, lemon juice and dill.”
Puzzled, Gregg probed: “Why all of a sudden have we crossed over from France to Greece?” To which Gaston recounted: “Greece is the first country I had travelled to for work, I had lived there probably a year. Loved the food, loved the people.”
Gregg then questioned: “How do I say goodbye in Greek?”
The chef responded: “Αντίο,” prompting Gregg to express: “Beautiful stuff,” reports the Mirror.
Audiences tuning in couldn’t miss the irony of Wallace asking for the Greek word for goodbye amid his departure from the show.
One viewer quipped: “He’s just asked how to say goodbye in Greek, classic.”
Another remarked: “‘How do I say goodbye in Greek’ Definitely various forms of goodbye are going to come in useful.”
Last Thursday, it was announced that Wallace would step away from the hit BBC cooking show while the producer, Banijay UK, externally reviewed historical misconduct complaints.
The BBC has confirmed that MasterChef: The Professionals will continue as scheduled on BBC One. New episodes will air on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with the final on Thursday, December 12.
“MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual,” a BBC spokesman said.
The 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with many others sharing their experiences in recent days.
Wallace’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
Earlier on Monday, Gregg apologised for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
He said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.
“It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
It follows a backlash to the comments made over the weekend with Downing Street saying his response to the accusations was “inappropriate and misogynistic”.